Gratitude is Everything
It seems today that gratitude is something that one needs to work on. For me, when we were young, we were so grateful for so many things, especially the little things. We really knew no different. It’s true, we walked up hill in the snow, in our red rubber boots to school, both ways! And yes, it’s true, we came home for lunch and watched Bozo on the tv. And yes, we didn’t lock our doors, our neighbors would come over at all times and we welcomed them in, always. It was common to set an extra plate for a friend to eat dinner with our family. There seemed to be so much laughter and much less stress back then. Is it because we were just kids? I like to embrace those memories and I also like to stop and be grateful for those and the new ones we make. Life is different, yet the same. It’s up to us, each one of us to seek out the good, create fond memories and find the joy in everyday life. Choose happy!
Yes, there were rules in place, like being home before the street lights turned on, being respectful of our elders, helping others in need, shoveling the neighbors side walk, selling Girl Scout cookies, playing Ding Dong Ditch, throwing the football in the street, drawing with chalk in the middle of the street with friends, and so much more grateful memories. It seems kids today won’t experience. No way would I let my kids play in the street today with all the traffic! No way would I allow them to ring a neighbors doorbell and run! Today, we find new ways to be grateful. We find new ways to create memories. We MUST take time to reflect on our many blessings, there are so many things, people, places and experiences to be grateful for.
Let’s teach our children to find gratitude in each day. I like the thought of this activity shown above, find a jar or an empty coffee can to fill with gratitude! Have scrap paper and a pencil, pen or crayons near by to encourage your child to write down something they are grateful for. At first they might say to you, “nothing” don’t you believe them! There is always something or someone to be grateful for. Stop for a moment and let your child think on this, don’t answer for them, instead you might share what you’re grateful for and let them build off of that. Let them think for themself, let them reflect on their own world and discover what they are grateful for. You can build off of this activity as well by at the end of the week or biweekly, have your child pull out one, two or three of the papers. Then, read them together and let your child draw and write about the word(s). This helps to build gratitude and we become more intentional with our surroundings. You can even add them to a word wall, put them on the fridge or toss them. But, visuals have always been wonderful reminders! Why not make a Gratitude journal, glue the word into the journal and do the mentioned or build a journal dictionary of gratitude words. So many ways to engage in being grateful, to find gratitude and every day gives us a new opportunity to discover more gratitude in the world we live in.
Check out our Mindful Monday word-Attitude and print out the resource.
TELL me and I forget, TEACH me and I remember, INVOLVE me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin